They then slowly moved the children away from the scene, keeping calm in order not to panic them.

The hand grenade was near the opening of the woods - just feet away from a public car park and the busy A39 main road.

Stuart Moffatt said the grenade was the "last thing you expect to find on an Easter Egg hunt"

Police officers put a 100-metre cordon in place and alerted members of the Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, who rushed straight to the scene.

They detonated the device in a nearby field at 2.30pm.

Stuart, from Holford, Somerset, said: "All the children were fine and the leaders did a great job in not panicking them.

"The boy who was standing on it just thought it was a rock. It was an eventful escape - it could have been a lot worse, especially with children around.

"The longer these things are left without being found, the more unstable the chemicals can be inside them too."

The deadly hand grenade is believed to have been an old Second World War device.

Lorry driver Paul Gibbard, 40, from nearby Stogursey, who was also on the Easter Egg hunt with daughters Ruby, three, and Jade, two, said: "It was a bit of a shock.

"Apparently there used to be an American Army base in Holford during the Second World War. I think it has to be something to do with that."

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed the grenade had been destroyed.

A spokesman for the force said: "The Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) attended the scene and destroyed the object in a controlled explosion.

"The cordon has been lifted and the local community are thanked for their patience while this incident was dealt with."

Source: SWNS

Also on The Huffington Post

Close



Hand Grenade Found On Easter Egg Hunt

of





Police at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team prepares for a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team prepares for a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)

Stuart Moffatt with his two daughters who found a hand grenade whilst out on an easter egg hunt in Holford Wood, West Somerset. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team prepares for a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team prepares for a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team prepares for a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A walker is shown out of Holford Wood, West Somerset by police where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team prepares for a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team prepares for a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team carries out a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team carries out a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. (Photo credit: SWNS)

A Bomb disposal team prepares for a controlled explosion at Holford Wood, West Somerset where a hand grenade was found by a father and his two daughters whilst they were on an easter egg hunt. The hand grenade has since been destroyed in a controlled explosion by the bomb disposal unit. (Photo credit: SWNS)